Ah, now I understand more fully why, as a parent, discussion and press coverage of the POTUS has baffled and infuriated me by turns. DH and I have regularly commented on how good parenting skills by politicians and journalists might have kept this guy out of politics.
"The investigative psychiatrist Robert J Lifton once explained to me that Trump is a solipsist, as distinct from the narcissist that he’s often accused of being.
A narcissist, while deeply self-infatuated, nevertheless seeks the approval of others and will occasionally attempt seduction to get what he wants (I think of the French president, Emmanuel Macron). For Trump the solipsist, the only point of reference is himself, so he makes no attempt even at faking interest in other people, since he can’t really see them from his self-centered position."
#Solipsism #solipsisttrump #politics #uspolitcs #journalism #thefifthestate
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/08/donald-trump-media-coverage?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other